Bo wants Royal treatment

Bo wants Royal treatment
By Kevin Scarbinsky
News sports writer
A championship atmosphere, a fair amount of money and his love for baseball have led Auburn Heisman Trophy Winner Bo Jackson to forego football and sign a contract with the Kansas City Royals.
Barring a last-minute change, Jackson was to make that decision public today at noon at a press conference in the Birmingham Hilton. That decision leaves the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers with nothing to show for their No. 1 overall pick of Jackson in the April draft. The Bucss scheduled their own press conference in Tampa today at 1 p.m. (CDT) with Owner Hugh Culverhouse and Coach Leeman Bennett. A spokesman for the Bucs said they would not send anyone to Birmingham for Jackson's press conference.
The Birmingham News reported Jackson's scheduled press conference and his likely choice of the Royals in its late edition Friday. The News also reported that a private plane belonging to the Royals landed in Tuscaloosa Friday and picked up Jackson. Carla Spruill, office manager of the Dixie Air terminal, said Jackson and two other people boarded the plane about 11:30 a.m. and the plane apparently was headed for Kansas City.
Sources said Friday night, however, that the plane instead flew to Memphis. A source in Memphis said Jackson and Royals co-owner Ewing Kaufman were seen there Friday at Fogelman Properties. Avron Fogelman lives in Memphis and is co-owner of the Royals with Kaufman. Radio station WLVS-AM in Memphis reported Friday that Jackson had agreed to terms with the Royals.
Jackson's contract with the Royals reportedly is $5 million over five years and includes some real estate. A source close to the Royals said Friday the deal contains an escape clause that would allow Jackson to buy out the contract after an agreed-upon time period and switch to football. If that happened within a year, the Tampa Bay Bucs would have first rights to Jackson until next year's NFL draft, when any team could select him.
Jackson missed more than half of his senior baseball season at Auburn because of an SEC rules violation that involved accepting transportation from the Bucs to receive a physical exam. The source in Kansas City said Jackson will begin his pro baseball career by working out with the Royals in Kansas City until the club assigns him to a minor league team. Speculation has been that he would start with Kansas City's Class Triple-A farm team in Omaha. Jackson's contract reportedly stipulates that he be called up to the Royals on Sept 1, when major league clubs increase their rosters to 40 players.
"I hope he's as good as they say he is," Royals relief pitcher Dan Quisenberry said Friday. "If he's that good, I'm sure there's room on the roster for him somewhere. "
Speculation for weeks has been that Jakitson was leaning toward baseball.
Sources have said his representatives — attorneys Jack Miller, Richard Woods and Tommy Leman of the Mobile law firm Miller. Hamilton, Snider and Odom — enjoyed a much better working relationship with the Royals than with the Buccaneers.
The Bucs tried to sign Jackson before the April 29 NFL draft, reportedly for $7.7 million over four years and a 30-year annuity of $500,000 a year to be paid after Jackson had been with the team eight years. That would have fulfilled the promise of Culverhouse, the Bucs' owner, to make Jackson the highest-paid rookie in NFL history. But Jackson stuck to his word and decided to wait for the June 2 baseball draft, when he was chosen by the Royals on the fourth round. Last week, the Bucs reportedly offered a $7 million deal over five years.
"We made a very substantial offer in line with what Mr. Culverhouse said," Phil Kreuger, the owner's assistant, said Friday. "We can't do any more than that."
A Tampa Bay spokesman said the Bucs have not had any contact with Jackson or his representatives since Wednesday.
Why did Jackson finally choose baseball? His lawyers have noted the Royals are a championship team, perennial contenders fresh off the 1985 World Series title. Jackson was said to be more impressed with the Royals than any other football or baseball organization he visited.
Auburn assistant baseball coach Ed Thayer cited two advantages his sport has over football. "I think Bo really likes baseball," Thayer said Friday. "and longevity is something he probably has considered....The Royals have given him the financial opportunity to play baseball."
Even after leaving the Auburn baseball team in late March, Jackson stayed close to the club, often sitting in the dugout at games. "After our season," Thayer said, "you'd see him out there hitting with a wooden bat. (Aluminum bats are allowed in college ball but not in the pros.) He'd come in and ask the coaches to pitch to him."
Frank White, the Royals' second baseman, said baseball is a wise choice for Jackson.
"I'd take the $5 million," White said. "What's the difference between $5 million and $7 million? You've got your health, you're not going to ruin your knees, so you pick baseball."
Large contracts are not new to the Royals. White, Quisenberry and George Brett all have lifetime deals with the club. White said things changed in that direction when Fogelman became part-owner in May, 1983.
"The team changed when he came in," White said. "The money started flowing more freely."
If he does indeed choose baseball, Jackson would be the first Heisman Trophy winner since Pete Dawkins of Army in 1958 who decided not to play pro football.
Bo Jackson may be swinging in KC by September

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Bo wants Royal treatment
By Kevin Scarbinsky
News sports writer
A championship atmosphere, a fair amount of money and his love for baseball have led Auburn Heisman Trophy Winner Bo Jackson to forego football and sign a contract with the Kansas City Royals.
Barring a last-minute change, Jackson was to make that decision public today at noon at a press conference in the Birmingham Hilton. That decision leaves the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers with nothing to show for their No. 1 overall pick of Jackson in the April draft. The Bucss scheduled their own press conference in Tampa today at 1 p.m. (CDT) with Owner Hugh Culverhouse and Coach Leeman Bennett. A spokesman for the Bucs said they would not send anyone to Birmingham for Jackson's press conference.
The Birmingham News reported Jackson's scheduled press conference and his likely choice of the Royals in its late edition Friday. The News also reported that a private plane belonging to the Royals landed in Tuscaloosa Friday and picked up Jackson. Carla Spruill, office manager of the Dixie Air terminal, said Jackson and two other people boarded the plane about 11:30 a.m. and the plane apparently was headed for Kansas City.
Sources said Friday night, however, that the plane instead flew to Memphis. A source in Memphis said Jackson and Royals co-owner Ewing Kaufman were seen there Friday at Fogelman Properties. Avron Fogelman lives in Memphis and is co-owner of the Royals with Kaufman. Radio station WLVS-AM in Memphis reported Friday that Jackson had agreed to terms with the Royals.
Jackson's contract with the Royals reportedly is $5 million over five years and includes some real estate. A source close to the Royals said Friday the deal contains an escape clause that would allow Jackson to buy out the contract after an agreed-upon time period and switch to football. If that happened within a year, the Tampa Bay Bucs would have first rights to Jackson until next year's NFL draft, when any team could select him.
Jackson missed more than half of his senior baseball season at Auburn because of an SEC rules violation that involved accepting transportation from the Bucs to receive a physical exam. The source in Kansas City said Jackson will begin his pro baseball career by working out with the Royals in Kansas City until the club assigns him to a minor league team. Speculation has been that he would start with Kansas City's Class Triple-A farm team in Omaha. Jackson's contract reportedly stipulates that he be called up to the Royals on Sept 1, when major league clubs increase their rosters to 40 players.
"I hope he's as good as they say he is," Royals relief pitcher Dan Quisenberry said Friday. "If he's that good, I'm sure there's room on the roster for him somewhere. "
Speculation for weeks has been that Jakitson was leaning toward baseball.
Sources have said his representatives — attorneys Jack Miller, Richard Woods and Tommy Leman of the Mobile law firm Miller. Hamilton, Snider and Odom — enjoyed a much better working relationship with the Royals than with the Buccaneers.
The Bucs tried to sign Jackson before the April 29 NFL draft, reportedly for $7.7 million over four years and a 30-year annuity of $500,000 a year to be paid after Jackson had been with the team eight years. That would have fulfilled the promise of Culverhouse, the Bucs' owner, to make Jackson the highest-paid rookie in NFL history. But Jackson stuck to his word and decided to wait for the June 2 baseball draft, when he was chosen by the Royals on the fourth round. Last week, the Bucs reportedly offered a $7 million deal over five years.
"We made a very substantial offer in line with what Mr. Culverhouse said," Phil Kreuger, the owner's assistant, said Friday. "We can't do any more than that."
A Tampa Bay spokesman said the Bucs have not had any contact with Jackson or his representatives since Wednesday.
Why did Jackson finally choose baseball? His lawyers have noted the Royals are a championship team, perennial contenders fresh off the 1985 World Series title. Jackson was said to be more impressed with the Royals than any other football or baseball organization he visited.
Auburn assistant baseball coach Ed Thayer cited two advantages his sport has over football. "I think Bo really likes baseball," Thayer said Friday. "and longevity is something he probably has considered....The Royals have given him the financial opportunity to play baseball."
Even after leaving the Auburn baseball team in late March, Jackson stayed close to the club, often sitting in the dugout at games. "After our season," Thayer said, "you'd see him out there hitting with a wooden bat. (Aluminum bats are allowed in college ball but not in the pros.) He'd come in and ask the coaches to pitch to him."
Frank White, the Royals' second baseman, said baseball is a wise choice for Jackson.
"I'd take the $5 million," White said. "What's the difference between $5 million and $7 million? You've got your health, you're not going to ruin your knees, so you pick baseball."
Large contracts are not new to the Royals. White, Quisenberry and George Brett all have lifetime deals with the club. White said things changed in that direction when Fogelman became part-owner in May, 1983.
"The team changed when he came in," White said. "The money started flowing more freely."
If he does indeed choose baseball, Jackson would be the first Heisman Trophy winner since Pete Dawkins of Army in 1958 who decided not to play pro football.
Bo Jackson may be swinging in KC by September